Harry's Inheritance
by HPandTHGfan
Summary: Harry receives a letter from Gringotts telling him of two vaults that are in his name. Watch as he discovers their contents.
1. Inheritance

**A/N This is an idea that suddenly came to me so this is the main bulk of it but I'm planning on doing a few follow on chapters.**

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Not long after the war had ended Harry received a letter from Gringotts saying that although the damage he had caused to the bank was extensive they had pardoned him because of the fact that the robbery was not out of greed but a need to save the wizarding world. They had also told him of two further vaults that were in his name, that he was to gain access to when he became of age. So, as Harry made his way through Diagon Alley with the many stares in his direction that he had become accustomed to in the past few months, he wondered what could possibly be in the vaults. More money, he presumed, not that he neither wanted nor needed it. But that is an awful lot of money to be in two vaults, maybe there were other things too.

AS he reached the reception desk he handed over his wand and the letter he had received as proof of identity and followed the goblin into a cart to lead him to the first of his vaults. This journey was as quick as the one to his own vault. Left, right, right, middle, left middle, he lost track once again. Finally they came to a stop. Once Harry was stood outside a vault the goblin pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the vault door. As the door swung open harry could see piles and piles of parchment, his mouth hung open. 'This is all the mail Harry Potter has received since he defeated Voldemort in 1981.' The goblin explained. Harry's eyes widened, he was glad it had been directed away from him as he grew up, it was all a bit overwhelming.

'Is there anyway I could have the current contents of this vault moved to my home in Grimauld Place whilst still keeping it in use for future mail?' Harry enquired.

'Of course Mister Potter, once we are back in the foyer I would be glad to help sort out the arrangements.'

They moved back into the cart, heading deeper into Gringotts, the travelled through the Thief's Downfall, with no problems this time, and headed deeper and deeper. Finally the cart screeched to a halt in front of a very old looking vault door. 'This is the Potter family vault. The Potters are a very old family and have had this vault for a long time.' The Goblin dragged his finger down a well worn patch of the door, which seemed to melt away at the touch.

This time Harry was sure his eyes were going to leave his sockets for good. It wasn't the large piles of gold, silver and bronze that caught his eye; it was an area on the other side of the vault full of more personal artefacts. Harry couldn't believe his eyes; these things belonged to his family, his flesh and blood. He had no physical connections to any of them, no family heirlooms, nothing that reminded him of the life he had before Voldemort ripped it to shreds.

Gingerly Harry stepped into the vault and cautiously made his way over to an ornate bookshelf. On it where a few ancient looking books, the sort of things that would have Hermione drooling. But that wasn't what drew him to it, what drew him to it was a thick envelope sat on top, the words _Last Will and Testament of Lily and James Potter _written clearly across it. You would have thought that after everything that had ever happened to Harry he would be harder to shock, instead this made him stagger a little.

Finally the Goblin became impatient 'Mister Potter?'

This startled Harry a little but he quickly composed himself 'Sorry. Is there any chance I could be left alone here for a while? It's all very personal and I have a feeling I'm going to be here a while.'

The Goblin nodded and bowed slightly as he backed away. 'Just ring the bell if you need anything.' And he left Harry alone in this large vault miles below muggle London.

Harry moved back to the envelope and sat himself down on an old, well worn armchair that was part of the vaults contents to read. His hands began to shake as he pulled the contents out of the envelope gingerly. He was not the first to read it, he could tell, it was probably read after their deaths, giving things to whom it was bequeathed. He began to read slowly. It was all very ordinary, their money and estate would go to Harry. The he began to see a few more specific things, he saw who his guardianship was supposed to go to, first was his Godfather, Sirius. If he was unable then it would be family friends Frank and Alice Longbottom, Harry nearly dropped the page at this. He could have grown up with Neville. Harry knew their lives shared scary parallels but to think that a) Their parents were close friends and b) had things turned out differently they could have grown up as almost siblings.

He continued on with his reading. James's broomstick had been left to Sirius '_as a reminder of times when we felt free._' And to Remus was left Lily's Gryffindor scarf '_to remind you that we are always united_'. He continued through the will, not comprehending the tears that had streaked down his cheeks. Finally, he glanced at his watch and realised quite how late it had gotten. He rose from his point, taking the envelope with him, silently vowing to come back tomorrow.

Harry struggled to fall asleep that night. The buzz of finding a physical connection to his parents was very difficult to come down from. He considered long and hard telling his friends and girlfriend but decided not to, leaving it a few days of his own self discovery before bringing them in on this amazing discovery.

It was bright and early that morning, not 15 minutes after the bank had opened, that Harry found himself sitting back in his family vault, once again completely ignoring the mountains of coins behind him. They had no value in comparison with what was on the other side of the vault.

His mother, it seemed, had found a hobby during their time in hiding. She had documented a story behind every item in the room. It was almost as if she knew that she herself wouldn't be around to tell these stories to Harry but wished to insure he still got to hear them. He found a journal with all these stories in, each relating to a certain item in the vault. There was the story about how, as Harry had begun to learn to pull himself onto his feet he had grabbed onto the bookshelf, almost pulling it down on top of himself. Harry chuckled at this; it was almost as if he could hear his mother herself telling the story.

Then finally, he found a small wooden box. The layer of dust that had settled over the rest of the contents of the vault was that much thinner on it. Cautiously he picked it up dusted it off and settled on the armchair that he had become so familiar with over the last day or so. Gingerly he opened it up, revealing another piece of parchment with his mother curvaceous script embezzling one single word _Harry. _He ran his finger of the name gently, thinking about how, some time ago, his mother had written this just for him. He carefully opened the envelope, trying not to tear or damage it in any way. Finally he retrieved the letter within. And his eyes glistened as he read his mothers words to him.

_Dearest Harry,_

_If you are reading this letter it means that me and Dada are no longer able to tell you this ourselves. We love you no matter what Harry, and we live forever inside your hearts. In this box are a few things of great importance that we want you to have once we have gone. Use them as you wish, and remember us always._

_The first item you should find is my charm bracelet. It was given to me not long after your birth by your Uncles Padfoot and Moony. It is so that wherever I am, I've always got my boys with me. The stag is Dada, the Dog is Padfoot, the wolf Moony, the rat Wormtail and finally, the baby deer is you. _

Harry paused his reading to look at the mentioned bracelet, he couldn't even bring himself to get angry at the rat. He just caressed each charm in turn (no including the obvious) pulling forward those memories he had of each missing them completely and loving them with every fibre of his being. He continued his reading.

_Next, you should find your fathers watch. He wanted to get you one like it for your own coming of age. I hope you will love and cherish it as much as he himself does._

Harry looked at the watch that sat on his wrist, then back at the one sat neatly in the box in front of him. For a moment he considered taking of Fabien's watch and replacing it with his fathers. But he didn't, he couldn't, he longed for his parents to have been able to give him their own but this new watch meant just as much, it meant his new family. He smiled as he thought of the Weasley's and all they had done for him over the years.

_This bit is specifically from Dada. This is his St Christopher that he was given by his grandfather when he first went off to Hogwarts. St Christopher is the patron saint of travellers and is supposed to help guide you thought life, I hope he will be able to do the same for you._

Harry pulled the golden chain out of the box, feeling it though his fingers before finally looking at the pendant. It was simple and masculine and Harry loved it. He unclasped it and put it around his neck, admiring the way it sat on his chest. He gently tucked it under his robes, the cold metal sitting close to his heart.

_Finally, find my engagement ring. It belonged to your Grandmother on Dada's side. I hope that when you find your own special lady that this could bring her the joy it has brought me. Dada would like to point out that she'll probably be a redhead as Potter men have married redheads for four generations, it's practically family tradition now._

Harry smiled at his father's words. He may only be 18 but he already knew that he was going to marry Ginny. He loved her and that was not going to change, but it was nice to think that his father would have approved of his choosing his own redhead.

He then looked to find the small, delicate box that contained this one treasure that meant so much. Opening it up cautiously he felt a tear escape his eyes as he laid eyes upon the marvel. It was not big or flash, nor did it look particularly imposing but its beauty was undeniable. It was a thin silver band set with alternating with tiny delicate diamonds and rubies. Rubies, Harry laughed, this redhead thing really was ingrained in his family. Finally, he finished the letter.

_Mama has to go now Harry, but know that I love you. Dada does to. And no matter what, we are proud of everything you do._

_Love forever,  
Mama and Dada xxx_

Harry couldn't stop the tears flowing freely now, clutching onto the box and paper as if his life depended on it. He calmed himself down, he wanted to tell his friends of his discovery now, but maybe he would keep a few secrets for a little while longer...


	2. Letters

**A/N This is just a little something I thought up. The other chapters will be more focused on the second vault but I thought this would be fun, and could show a playful side of Harry.**

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It was two weeks since Harry's discovery of his two vaults. He had had the letters moved to the attic in Grimauld Place, this was what he was using as his office. He sat on the floor, sorting letters into piles, first ordered by year sent, then he put any sets of letters he had received from the same person together.

Now that was sorted he focused on the larger piles. Writing responses, thanking people for their support and apologising for only just receiving the letters. He finally found a set of letters that he knew would be in there somewhere, he had over ten letters from a Miss Ginevra Weasley. Harry smiled and began searching for any letters by other people he knew. He found six from Ron, eight from Neville, even three from Luna. He laughed as he wrote them each a very generic standardised letter. They each read something like.

_Miss/Mr __

_I am sorry for such a late reply to the letters you sent me. I have only just gained access to them as they were previously directed away. Thank you for your continued support these years._

_Harry Potter_

He ended the letter with his signature.

He laughed to himself as he went to find owls to send all the letters he had written that day, including those to his friends. He would be seeing them for dinner tonight and was planning on acting completely normally.

It was the next day when he finally got the reactions from his letters. He heard four pops in quick succession coming from the kitchen before the thunder of feet up the stairs. There was a final pop, which Harry assumed was Hermione from the manic laughter he could hear. The four initial pops burst through the door to the lounge 'Harry James Potter!' They all shouted, as Harry struggled to contain his laughter. Luna looked cheerful, and was laughing lightly, but one could detect the embarrassment in her eyes. Neville was looking more like the shy kid they had met in first year than ever and the Weasley siblings both had equally red faces. Harry couldn't tell if it was from annoyance or the embarrassment at knowing he had read those letters.

Hermione burst through the door at that moment, preventing anyone from speaking for the moment. She was panting, but whether it was from running up the stairs or laughing he couldn't tell. Finally Harry could hold his laughter no longer. 'You guys' he wheezed 'you are soo brave' he said in a false imitation of Ginny. He turned to Ron next. 'You're so cool, I'd love to be your friend.' Harry and Hermione were both struggling to breath by now but continued with his little speech 'I wish I could be like you.' Harry said, ridiculously deep, laughing at Neville's expression. 'I think you must have been bitten by a gnome.' He said in an OTT impression of Luna's dreamy voice. By this point Hermione and Harry where rolling on the floor, laughing so hard they were clutching their sides.

'Are you done yet?' Ginny asked, hands on her hips. Harry waved her away as he shook his head.

It took a couple of minutes for the pair to calm down enough to stand up and face their peers, they were still grinning stupidly. 'You know, I really hate you sometimes.' Ron added flatly.

'Now, now Ron. You've wanted to be my friend for years, you wouldn't want to throw all that away would you?' Harry teased.

'Are you finished?' Ginny asked sweetly.

'For now.' Harry sung, kissing her on the cheek as he merrily skipped out of the room.


	3. Ring

**A/N The third instalment of this story is here. I have three more chapters planned, one of which is complete so expect quick updates. I have caught the muse for this story and am trying to use it while it's here. Please enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think, both positive and negative.**

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Harry had never been so nervous in his life, not when he was waiting for a particularly important Quidditch match, not even as he walked into the forest on that fateful day. But today Harry was struggling to keep his nerves in check, his palms were sweating and he kept tapping his pocket. He tried to tell himself it would be alright, she loved him and he knew that but there was a part of him that wouldn't believe it until later. All his life those that had loved him had been taken away from him and he just couldn't let that happen with her this time.

He mentally went through a checklist of what he thought this night should be like. Received father's permission? Check. Romantic setting? Check. Ring? Ring. He started panicking, he couldn't feel the ring box. He hurriedly reached his hand into his pocket and felt its presence, he calmed somewhat.

He looked at the beautiful woman on his arm. He had never seen her look so radiant, so perfect. This was how he was going to remember her forever. Laughing as snowflakes caught in her vibrant hair, smiling at him with that smile she reserved for him and him alone. It was time, he knew that if he didn't do it now, he would regret it, so steeling up all of the Gryffindor courage he could muster he got down on one knee in the middle of a snow covered park.

He had an entire speech worked out, detailing why he loved her and all those usual cliché things. But these things rarely work out as expected, as Harry quickly became aware of. Instead of this fantastic, well rehearsed speech, he said something else, something that held so much meaning.

'Ginny Weasley, you remember at the Battle when I went to Voldemort, to give my life. As I walked the forbidden forest I thought of you. As that spell hit me I thought of you. And as I lay there in Hargid's arms the one voice that broke my heart most was yours. I never want to leave you again, so Ginerva Molly Weasley, will you marry me?'

Ginny stood there in shock, knelt on one knee in front of her was the boy she had been crushing on since she first heard his story. Sure, she didn't know him at all then but here he was, he childhood crush, stumbling over the most romantic words she had ever heard come out of anyone's mouth, proposing to her. She couldn't find her voice so she simply nodded a yes. Then squealed in joy as he picked her up and span her around.

Finally her feet settled on the ground as Harry fumbled for something in his pocket. He pulled out a beautiful delicate ring box, which inside held an absolutely stunning ring. He eased it gently on her finger as she admired it proudly. 'Oh Harry.' She finally found her voice. 'It's beautiful. I love it. I love you.' She said the last bit with such finality that there left no room for worry or doubt.

The newly engaged couple stood a while in comfortable silence, both staring at the ring and each other, soaking in the moment.

'It was my mothers.' Harry finally spoke softly. 'I found it in the Potter vault all those years ago. It was my grandmothers before that.'

Ginny's grin widened (if that was even possible at this point) and her eyes filled with tears, both happy and sad. 'It's truly perfect.' she said, cupping his cheek in her hand as she tenderly stroked his cheek with her thumb before gently kissing him.

Pulling away he smiled wider than she had seen him for a long time. 'You'll be the fifth generation Potter redhead.' He joked, as he lent in for another kiss.


	4. Watch

**A/N I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.**

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It was James Sirius Potters 17th Birthday and everyone in his dorm knew about it. He bounced from bed to bed waking up everyone as he went. He then shot out of the room to go wake his brother Al up and the rest of the male Weasley clan which made up a fair portion of Gryffindor tower. He buzzed out of the boys dormitories and into the common room, hoping to find a girl to retrieve the female side of his family.

He needn't have worried. His little sister, the best little sister anyone could have asked for, had already gathered them together along with his mountain of presents. Soon the boys had joined them, and together had taken over almost half of the common room. James eagerly opened his presents until he got to a small one wrapped very neatly with a letter addressed in a script that James knew all too well. This was from his father.

He opened the letter first, expecting it to just be another birthday card but what he read was quite different.

_James,_

_Son you have reached this momentous age at last, why it feels like just yesterday I was annoying your mother by anxiously pacing the room whilst she gave birth. Anyway, this gift I give you is very special and dear to me. Over twenty years ago I discovered the family vault and inside was a few gifts left to me. This gift you are about to receive once belonged to your namesake, I myself have never worn it but I leave it to you, my wonderful amazing talented son._

_Happy Birthday James, keep causing mischief._

_Dad_

James eyes seemed to moisten slightly as he unwrapped his final present. Inside a simple box sat a watch, with twelve hands spinning round the outside. This watch was not new and expensive as one might have thought would be the case for the son of the Famous Harry Potter. This gift held meaning that only those who knew Harry would understand.

James was losing his battle against the tears so turned away. His brother and sister seemed to sense his emotion and moved alongside him. 'It was Grandad James's.' James said as way of explanation but he knew his siblings understood. Their Dad had very few things of his own parents and treasured everything he had, they all understood the significance of the gift, even if the other two couldn't help but feel a little jealous.


End file.
